Honestly can't give you a really good opinion on that. The last time I tried it, it was the 361 Nation test string. That was with a completely different racquet. Even then, I was seriously underwhelmed. Given how much it costs though, I wouldn't recommend it unless someone asks for it by name. It seems to be the go-to Prince junior sponsor string though.

You should be fine with 1/8. Has it settled yet, as in, has it been about 12 hours since stringing? If you cut the tails too short, as the tension is equalizing throughout the frame and then onto the first hit, you can suck the tail into the knot if it's too short. If you make your knots tight and make the tails long enough but still stick inside the frame, then you're fine. One of the many reasons I use the Wilson knot exclusively. The tail runs directly along the frame like the Parnell, only the knot is more compact yet holds just as well.

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I usually cut my knots about the same length as yours; however, I leave them longer with new strings because of 1 string culprit in the past. Prince Recoil and that slippery Teflon coating! I left a tail about the size shown in your picture then came back a minute later and the tail had slipped through. I was so pissed. So now I leave them about twice as long for a little while and then snip them down later if I think about it. Long tails have never bothered me.

can i ask ive noticed u/most people always have there cross strings in a higher gauge? is this purely for more control?

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While there are quite a few reasons for different tensions of mains vs. crosses, I just do the most simple: tension the more elastic string more tightly. When I do gut mains, I usually do like 53/48 or something or 52/48. Either way, the poly is always tensioned less by at least 3 lbs.

how come all yonex racquets are supposed to be strung -2lbs in the crosses?

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Simple geometry my friend. They say 5% less because the crosses are shorter than the mains (obviously). The difference, however, is because Yonex frames use what's written at the top of the hoop: an isometric shape. That means, literally, same length/equal measurement. In other words: Unlike a circle or an ellipse, since all of the crosses are the same length across, they're effectively shorter than on a normal racquet (cross length with respect to the mains length). If you string them the same tension, you're "squishing" it inwards and making the hoop narrower. If you string with lower tension, you retain the original shape better. Now, that's the theory. In practice? Personal preference of the customer.

While there are quite a few reasons for different tensions of mains vs. crosses, I just do the most simple: tension the more elastic string more tightly. When I do gut mains, I usually do like 53/48 or something or 52/48. Either way, the poly is always tensioned less by at least 3 lbs.

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This is my philosophy too. Keep each string tensioned close to where they normally perform best.

I have one other question then. I always like to put the poly in the mains because it feels deader. It gives me more control. If I wanted to put a gut in the crosses, It feels like there is to much power. For example if I put a poly in the mains @53, andn gut in the crosses at 51, if feels like there is to much power.

If I went like 58,56. That would tame the power of the gut, but then the poly would be way to stiff. I dont want to string like 51/56. That would be to much of a tension difference on the frame. Do you see the problem?

my second thought was this (I realy want to maintain my current tension of 53/51,) what if I put a costly poly in the mains and a cheap syn gut in the crosses. Prince syn gut is good, because if feels very mutted.

Do you think the crosses would break first? I dont break strings that often, but when I do they are the mains. I have only broken crosses once and it was a freak shot. I would not want to spend alot of money say alu rough, but then have it go to waste because the syn gut crosses break.

You should be good to go. Honestly though, since ALU dies after only a few hours, you should be replacing the poly around when the syn gut would break. Either way: if you didn't pop the Yonex 850 when you had the Adrenaline Rough in the mains (that was, if I can recall, 53/51), then a regular syn gut would be fine and likely even more durable.

Last question you have been stringing for me for most of the past college years, do you think as a costumer that I am picky or have strange string taste? I feel like I am a little finicky, but having the right strings does make a difference. Don't get me wrong though, I could still play my game with a full bed of any decent syn gut, but having the right strings just makes it better.

Haha, oh man, you have no idea how ordinary you are. He graduated last year, but I had someone (who I admit made me quite rich!) who played Performaxx mains with Topspin Cyberflash crosses. There is nothing inherently odd about that. What still gets me is I had to hand-write in notes on my records because in the course of a week, he brought me 3 frames, all strung 54/51, but one frame had no machine pre-stretch, another with no machine prestretch, but with power pads and then the third with 5% machine prestretch. One week later, he brought me a fourth (not one of the original ones) so that he could try 5% prestretch with power pads. What did he end up going with? No machine prestretch, but with power pads...on only the center two set of mains (Head racquet, has four sets of grommets at the throat unlike yours which only has three). He swore that it was like night and day. If you look back in this thread to a year ago or so in March, I mentioned that I was running out of gut. He's the reason why :lol:

As for the strangeness, I'm serious: I would rather give you some syn gut for free than to have to string up that HORRENDOUS Forten nylon. Please, just throw the reel away!

As an update, I'm not sure about the Tornado/Explosiv!. The multi really really damps that responsive feel that I like about Tornado. I mean, there is zero vibration and zero ping. Unfortunately, aside from 6star Supercharged which I hate, it's the only multi I have in a reel. Perhaps Spiral Flex would work?

Oh, another little game like with the massage roller: first person to identify my pencil chooses the cross string I use for the next 3 months. My mother bought it for me in high school, and I've used it every day since then

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Not quite sure... But you should try a Pentel PS-45! The best pencil ever. I wish it had a bit more weight though... Where should I lead it up at?

Classic is the newest--and IMO, the best--line of strings. The site is way outdated, as are most of the item descriptions on the Bay. Sometimes they are responsive if emailed through the Bay, but I haven't had much luck recently.

Not a string breaker. Have not had a problem with Performaxx gut breaking and I have tried the Classic and Whispertouch, both feel great. I use Tornado in the crosses and thought this would be a problem. Great feel and spin and plently of power.

I have a Vantage 95 strung with Tonic mains and Co-Focus crosses at 53/49. My first hit felt low powered and stiff. During my second and subsequent hits, the string is now too powerful for some shots (i.e. dipping short angle forehand, and various touch shots).

I have a sensitive arm and am middle aged. I am wondering if I should raise the tension or go to a lower powered gut (i.e. Performaxx WhisperTouch or Classic, Pacific Classic or Pacific Tough Gut). I am not a big string breaker. I have a 4.5 all court game, like to volley, rally at medium pace and look to flatten out a short ball. I also hit a fair amount of drop shots, lobs and touch shots around the net.

Simple geometry my friend. They say 5% less because the crosses are shorter than the mains (obviously). The difference, however, is because Yonex frames use what's written at the top of the hoop: an isometric shape. That means, literally, same length/equal measurement. In other words: Unlike a circle or an ellipse, since all of the crosses are the same length across, they're effectively shorter than on a normal racquet (cross length with respect to the mains length). If you string them the same tension, you're "squishing" it inwards and making the hoop narrower. If you string with lower tension, you retain the original shape better. Now, that's the theory. In practice? Personal preference of the customer.

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Hm, that makes more sense. No wonder the "jet" junk works so nicely on the 95Ds

my second thought was this (I realy want to maintain my current tension of 53/51,) what if I put a costly poly in the mains and a cheap syn gut in the crosses. Prince syn gut is good, because if feels very mutted.

Do you think the crosses would break first? I dont break strings that often, but when I do they are the mains. I have only broken crosses once and it was a freak shot. I would not want to spend alot of money say alu rough, but then have it go to waste because the syn gut crosses break.

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It depends on how you hit and the softness of the strings in question. If your poly is on the softer side, a syngut like OGSM will eat through the mains. If you put a multi, the crosses will last out. It also has something to do with the way you hit. Flatter and you'll wear the crosses thin--> pop, more spin and you'll eat away at the mains.

I have a Vantage 95 strung with Tonic mains and Co-Focus crosses at 53/49. My first hit felt low powered and stiff. During my second and subsequent hits, the string is now too powerful for some shots (i.e. dipping short angle forehand, and various touch shots).

I have a sensitive arm and am middle aged. I am wondering if I should raise the tension or go to a lower powered gut (i.e. Performaxx WhisperTouch or Classic, Pacific Classic or Pacific Tough Gut). I am not a big string breaker. I have a 4.5 all court game, like to volley, rally at medium pace and look to flatten out a short ball. I also hit a fair amount of drop shots, lobs and touch shots around the net.

What do you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

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Honestly, you may have to try them all (that's what I did, minus Tough Gut, albeit, with different crosses some of the time). With the price Pacific Classic is at now and with the dollar increase in P'maxx, Pm Classic is the cheapest option, but with CoF crosses, maybe do the WT. But what I'd really suggest is to just do full gut. PmC is great once it breaks in, but that takes a bit. Maybe try Mamba Supra.

Honestly, you may have to try them all (that's what I did, minus Tough Gut, albeit, with different crosses some of the time). With the price Pacific Classic is at now and with the dollar increase in P'maxx, Pm Classic is the cheapest option, but with CoF crosses, maybe do the WT. But what I'd really suggest is to just do full gut. PmC is great once it breaks in, but that takes a bit. Maybe try Mamba Supra.

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How would you compare tonic with pmaxx Classic and pmax wt? What did you end up with?

Classic is more comfortable and more powerful (but in a completely controlled way) and lasts longer, but I do wish it was available in a thinner gauge (at one point it was in 17g but haven't seen that lately). Personally, I think Classic is higher quality and the way to go. As I said, though, it does have a break-in time. So my requests are (1) a bit less coating and (2) thinner gauges available, but even so, it's very nice.

Classic is more comfortable and more powerful (but in a completely controlled way) and lasts longer, but I do wish it was available in a thinner gauge (at one point it was in 17g but haven't seen that lately). Personally, I think Classic is higher quality and the way to go. As I said, though, it does have a break-in time. So my requests are (1) a bit less coating and (2) thinner gauges available, but even so, it's very nice.

I haven't personally tried it, but I've heard it's better than Pacific Classic (check the Mamba Tennis thread). It may not do as well as a main (if you're still thinking gut/poly) compared to PmC because it's less coated and stuff, but at $21 or $22 dollars for a full set and free shipping, it's worth a try.

Yikes. I'd have to say Scorpion on both counts, maybe Iontec pips it in full. I will be honest: I didn't much like Black Mamba, but Iontec was simply phenomenal. You sometimes find those strings that just make everything work. Scorpion for me was the first. Then B5E in hybrid. Then Iontec. Then Baseline/OGSM in hybrid. Still, nothing compares to the first time I tried out Scorpion. It reminded me of the first time I used Pro Hurricane 18 having used NRG2 for so many years. The ball was just different. All of the others I listed had a similar effect. Not even the Tornado/Xcel works like that. So, you're probably wondering: why the heck don't you just take those with you for the summer? Because the people I string for agree with me on both counts, and I only have a few sets left on my reels of Scorpion and B5E, I won't be stringing for myself so Baseline would be a huge waste of labor money and I don't have a reel of Iontec. If by next week I can't find something, I'm just going to take both Scorpion and B5E AND the Iontec strings I just bought instead. Would prefer to not have to change setups mid summer, but if it can't be avoided, then blah.

That is so strange, when I first tried scorpion it was like everything was perfect, the feel and everything about it just clicked with me. Then I used iontec and the same thing happened. I'm predicting when you try supra gut/iontec you are going to lose your ****.

Yikes. I'd have to say Scorpion on both counts, maybe Iontec pips it in full. I will be honest: I didn't much like Black Mamba, but Iontec was simply phenomenal. You sometimes find those strings that just make everything work. Scorpion for me was the first. Then B5E in hybrid. Then Iontec. Then Baseline/OGSM in hybrid. Still, nothing compares to the first time I tried out Scorpion. It reminded me of the first time I used Pro Hurricane 18 having used NRG2 for so many years. The ball was just different. All of the others I listed had a similar effect. Not even the Tornado/Xcel works like that. So, you're probably wondering: why the heck don't you just take those with you for the summer? Because the people I string for agree with me on both counts, and I only have a few sets left on my reels of Scorpion and B5E, I won't be stringing for myself so Baseline would be a huge waste of labor money and I don't have a reel of Iontec. If by next week I can't find something, I'm just going to take both Scorpion and B5E AND the Iontec strings I just bought instead. Would prefer to not have to change setups mid summer, but if it can't be avoided, then blah.

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Thanks, I'm going to order some Scorpion to try today. How does it compare to Tour Bite, B5E, SpinX, and Typhoon?

What's your recommended multi for hybrids? Or is say, Mamba's inexpensive gut the way to go?

Stringing: Without question this is one of the most stubborn, stiff and recalcitrant strings that I've ever dealt with. Honestly, it's second only to Alien Black Diamond in terms of diabolical stringability. Nonetheless, the Alien stuff is truly a great poly even though it's deadly to string up, so I'm not basing anything off of this. Anyone thinking that this stuff is the same as SP Hyperion or Genesis Black Magic......you've got to be kidding me. Strung at 47/47.

Groundstrokes: This string plays how it feels and strings, but only from a power and feel standpoint. It is not a harsh string at all, but it's not soft. I would say that Hyperion is slightly softer, but not by much. It's about as soft as maybe Cyberflash, but without the other qualities. It has very little power anywhere in the court. You really need to work the racquet to get your shots to work how you want them to. There is a very strange feeling to it, something that I have only experienced with X-1. It honestly feels as though the racquet is strung at different tensions all across the string bed. if you hit the ball a bit lower in the stringbed to get a sharper angle, there is no power. If you hit it a bit above the sweet spot, there is a bit more power, but not by much. The string really takes the sweetspot of even the deadest polys and shrinks it. To put it another way, the strings just feel dead right from the get go. Normally, I would say that there is a type of player that would like this, but no play style would benefit from the way it played for me.Overall:7/10

Serves: Same as the groundstrokes. This is not a server's string as there is no help whatsoever on a power or spin standpoint. It's simply just a dead feeling string and seems to take away pace that you already would have had even with a syn gut. Since I rely heavily on my serve, this is a definite no.Overall:6/10

Volleys: Too stiff. There is no feel from the stringbed. The same applies here about the "uneven" stringbed. You have absolutely no way of knowing whether or not your volley is going to go where you want it. Now, I know I play with gut crosses in my go-to setup, but even then, mushy Black Magic is more reliable.Overall:6/10

Durability: It may be too early to tell since not enough time has passed, but this seems to be a rather durable poly. There is no notching whatsoever, but honestly, after feeling it, that's not surprising. The crosses were sliding all over the place though. Either way, the strings felt dead even after they broke in, so I really can't imagine what it will be like once they die.Overall: Too early.

I don't believe in reviewing something and not being honest, so I won't be doing that. This is not a string for me. I'm not going to use any hyperbole here, so I'm just relaying exactly what I think. I know that some people like it, but for groundstrokes this reminds me from a feel standpoint of Signum Pro Hyperion. Similar spin off of both wings as well. The difference is, Hyperion is easy to string, doesn't move about and is very playable at the net and on serves. For groundstrokes though, it's very similar. Not that soft, stiff feeling and very low powered. In all other aspects, it isn't even close. It doesn't feel plasticky like Black Code, but it plays just as poorly.

Overall: 6.5/10

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After ordering my Iontec, I forgot that I never updated this review with the lower tension/frame. Sorry Ray!!

I tried this out a few weeks ago at 45/45, but didn't update it having used it in my new frame. I took Ray's original suggestions and applied them to the 4D200T. This string, while it is not quite Iontec, is still tremendous. The higher tension in the lighter frame was just a combination made in hell. The lower tension in the heavier frame and the pocketing was simply diabolically good. Spin is about the same as Iontec, and it's still definitely stiffer. Feel at the net was average, but serving muahahahaha! That delicious explosion sound that Tour Bite makes? Yep, it's got it.

I still didn't like stringing it up either, have to be honest about that too. Not sure why it was so finicky for me, but who knows. Regardless, BM shows two key things to consider in strings:

1. Frame

2. Tension

I remember when I did B5E/gut in my 4D200T for the first time and it was eye opening as to what that combination could do. Same thing here. The AG100 is just too tinny/light to get the most out of this string. That, plus having changed my forehand since I last reviewed it...and switching to a 2HBH led to some much different results. The sweetspot is actually enormous compared to what I felt before. I knew that something was likely up since Iontec is one of my all time faves and this is the lowest rated string in here. Didn't make sense. Now though, it gets its proper due.

I know you have played with alien, but I did not see a review in the index. If I got you a set for free would you do a review on it. also if you had to choose either alu rough or alien wich one. They are both pretty awesome, but at the same time different.